A/N: I'm sorry for not updating for so long, but life and school keep throwing things at me and I just didn't have the time. This chapter is rather short, and I might write and put up the next one soon if time allows. Enjoy!

Sebastian ran his fingers over the keyboard, effortlessly playing the song in his mind. All the lessons he'd taken and all the hours he'd spent practicing had finally paid off as he could now keep his eyes on the score without looking at his hands once, and he was making less mistakes. The song he was now playing was recommended by Hunter and it was called 'River Flows In You'. It was apparently composed by a Korean pianist and though it was an easy piece (at least that was what Hunter said), it sounded beautiful and soothing.

Speaking of his 'teacher', Sebastian hated to admit it, but there wasn't much progress when it came to luring Hunter to his bed. Sebastian had tried most of the tricks in his own books, but Hunter either just had no idea, or he just didn't give a damn about it. He'd tried wearing tighter shirts and pants, but never did once Hunter's eyes linger on any part of him aside from his eyes. He'd tried to make suggestive comments or snappy remarks, and Hunter would smirk and say something that sometimes even rendered Sebastian speechless. The only way he could save his face was to pretend not to care, but Sebastian knew well that wasn't the case. His ego and pride had suffered a lot during these weeks and they were now rather bruised.

Yet, Sebastian still couldn't bring himself to give up. He was a Smythe, and he'd never stop until the prey was in his arms. Other guys, maybe, but Hunter's face was too pretty to let go. Sebastian would be lying if he said he hadn't dreamt about Hunter and him having fun under the covers. Those dreams often woke him up in the morning, only to discover that his sheets were now a mess. It never failed to amaze how one guy could turn him into - well, his worst self.

He had no intention of asking others for help as he knew what would happen if he did. His pride didn't need another beating and the others would only laugh at him, but Sebastian doubted if they could actually offer him any, let's say, information.

It might take time, but so be it. Hunter still had Sebastian on his trail, and nothing would ever be able to shake him off. Sebastian smirked a little at this thought.

Hunter stared at the calendar on the wall. His birthday was coming up soon, but unlike most teenagers, he still hadn't made any plans to celebrate it. He knew his parents would make the birthday dinner as a part of the ritual, and maybe the Glee Club would crash his house in the afternoon to throw him an impromptu party like they did last year. Hunter smiled at the memory. They all watched movies and sang together, with pizzas and beer supplied by Santana and Puck being added to the mix. Hunter was surprised that they only brought beer instead of something stronger like vodka, but according to the gang after a rather disastrous party involving karaoke and alcohol, they'd decided not to 'take things too far'. Hunter never did find out what happened during that party, but he didn't really care so he didn't ask around. he had to admit, it was great to spend time with friends and 'socialize' a bit. Back in military school no one really gave a shit about it. Not even special occasions like Christmas. You could never use them as an excuse to not undergo training but Hunter never had many close friends. Sometimes he would still receive calls from the guys in Colorado and they'd chat about their currents lives, but they could only be regarded as 'normal friends' at most. With the New Directions, things were a bit different and Hunter certainly welcomed the change.

His eyes moved over the boxes labelled Tuesday and Saturday. He'd marked down 'Smythe's Residence, 17:30-18:30' in them. Sebastian was improving and he'd gotten rid of the 'beginner' tag, but if he wanted to be on the same level as Hunter or other pianists, he still had a long way to go. Still, he was getting better and there was no way to deny it. He didn't need to go over to Sebastian's house this weekend because Sebastian had to go to Dalton. Lacrosse practice or something that required his presence at school.

As Blaine had warned him before, Sebastian did try to flirt with him. The way he wore clothes that fitted him like a glove didn't go unnoticed by Hunter, and Hunter had lost count of how many innuendos Sebastian had used. The truth was, Hunter wasn't sure how he felt towards the green-eyed boy. Sebastian's attempts to make him fall into his bed were amusing and flattering, albeit annoying at times. Hunter also liked the way Sebastian spoke his mind without sugarcoating anything, and his sarcastic comments sometimes were pretty funny, as long as they were not about him. He knew well how it felt like to have feelings for someone - he'd dated before after all. Maybe he'd just have to wait and see what would happen next. So far he still thought of him as a friend at most. Or at least that was what he believed.

On Sunday, Hunter woke up at nine fifteen which was later than usual, but it was his birthday, so his parents probably would let him get away for once. When he got downstairs, his parents had already finished eating breakfast and they were now reading the paper. Mr Puss was curled up on the couch, watching the TV intently. "Look who's there!" his dad teased, 'Sleeping Beauty has finally decided to grace us with his appearance."

Hunter merely laughed and sat down at the dining table, his hands already reaching for the butter and the freshly baked toasts. His mother walked up to him with a bright smile on her face and a rectangular package in her hands. "Happy birthday dear!" she handed the package to Hunter. "See what present I've got you!" Hunter tore up the wrapping paper and what he saw made his jaw drop.

"The latest Peter Flynn novel? And a signed copy too?" he stared at his mother, bewildered. 'I thought they were sold out! How did you manage to get a copy, mom?" Hunter did like reading, and Flynn was one of his favorite writers. He specialized in mystery novels and basically every book he released was an international bestseller. Hunter fell in love with his works after Tristan, his roommate back in military school recommended Flynn to him. He'd even got a whole collection of Flynn's works in his room, on his bookshelf.

His mother smiled proudly. "Elaine works at a bookstore and I asked her to save me one, so there you go." Hunter stood up and hugged her. He'd wanted to read the book for ages but he couldn't find it anywhere as others bought it once the book was released. Now he couldn't wait to start turning the pages.

"Thanks so much, Mom." His mother's grin got even brighter and his father cleared his throat loudly. "Now I suppose it's my turn now." Hunter watched as his father got up and left the living room. He returned a few minutes later, with a small square box. "Happy birthday, son." Hunter opened it, only to find a black electric watch inside.

"I noticed that your old watch was already broken, so I got you this." Hunter took the watch out and fastened the straps around his left wrist. It looked pretty good on him. "Thank you, Dad." Hunter gave his father a quick hug and his father patted him on the back.

"We have some bad news for you though, son." the smile on his mother's face had disappeared and was replaced by a slight frown. "Your father has to go out to attend a meeting in New York and I need to accompany him, and we won't be back until Tuesday, so we can't celebrate your birthday with you."

"That's okay, Mom. You and Dad have already given me a lot" Hunter replied. "Go do what you have to." To be honest he was rather disappointed that his parents couldn't be with him today, but he couldn't be that selfish and he wasn't a kid anymore. His parents looked relieved at his understanding. "Thanks, son," his father said and he clapped Hunter on shoulder. "Speaking of which, we have to leave in half an hour. Marianne, where are the suitcases again?"

Hunter's mother rolled her eyes fondly. "In the foyer, Robert. I just told you that not long ago. You really have to get your memory checked, just to see if you have Alzheimer's already."

"There's no need to be a smartass here, ma'am." Robert Clarington snorted. "Never mind, let's get going."

"I'll help you get the suitcases then." Hunter volunteered. Pretty soon his parents walked out of the door, tugging their luggage behind them. "Goodbye honey, we'll be back soon." his mother kissed his cheek gently. "I'm sorry that we can't stay with you today."

"I told you Mom, it's fine. Go find Dad or you'll be late." Hunter waved goodbye as the cab drove away. Then he went back into the house and closed the door behind him.

Hunter spent the rest of the morning reading the novel on the couch and he'd finished half of it by lunch time. So far it was pretty good and he wanted to continue reading, but it was getting harder to ignore the empty feeling in his stomach. He stretched and winced when his muscle screamed in protest. He'd need to change his posture next time. Hunter got off the couch and made himself some sandwiches using the ingredients available in the kitchen, and silently wished himself happy birthday before eating. Of course, he didn't forget Mr Puss. He opened up a tin of cat food and let the cat devour the contents. Later he cleaned up the table, and went back to reading. He ultimately finished the novel at around two and Hunter thought it was the best book Flynn had ever written since 'The Code of X', which was currently his most popular work.

Aside from reading, he also took a break by playing the piano. And when his fingers couldn't hold themselves up anymore, he watched the TV. All the while, he couldn't help but feel a bit lonely, especially when there was only him and his cat in the house. Hunter also considered calling the guys, but they might have others things to do and he didn't want to bother them, so he put the phone back down.

Dinnertime came pretty quickly and Hunter ate the extra sandwiches he made that afternoon. He was going upstairs to take a shower when his phone rang. Hunter looked at the screen and only to find Satana's name on it. He pressed the green button warily, wondering what she wanted. "Hello? Santana?"

"Clarington!" Santana shouted and Hunter winced at the volume of her voice. "Suit up, get your ass down there and open the goddamn door!"

"Wha-"

"Just do it, idiot!" Hunter had no choice but to follow her instructions. He could hear people talking outside as he approached the front door. Surely it couldn't be…? Finally he opened it, and there they were, the whole gang standing outside. "Happy birthday!" they shouted in chorus.

"Thanks, guys." Hunter rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. He was touched by their kind gesture, but really, what was happening? "What have you got up on your sleeves this time?"

Santana huffed. "Get your shoes on, military guy, we're going out." Hunter stared at her blankly, still not fully understanding what was going on.

"A new bar just opened nearby." Blaine explained, "We've been wanted to go there for ages, but just couldn't find the time to. And coincidentally your birthday was just around the corner and we are all free today, so.."

"We want you to go with us." Tina chimed in and Mike, Puck and Artie nodded. That was when Hunter really noticed what they were all wearing. They were all 'dressed to the nine' as the saying went and it wasn't hard to guess where they were heading. Not that they looked bad though. In fact, Hunter was sure they would turn heads while walking down the street.

"But what about the IDs?" if Hunter wasn't mistaken none of them could drink, let alone entering a bar. How could they get in then?

"Don't worry," Kurt held up a plastic bag and Hunter could see a bunch of small rectangular cards in there. "Blaine and I have asked a friend to take care of this."

"So, Hunter," Quinn piped up, "Are you with us or what? If we don't leave now, the night would be wasted."

Out of everything, Hunter hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected his friends to turn up and waiting to drag him down to a bar - well, he hadn't even thought of going to one! But with everyone there, he didn't really want to say no. Not to mention all the potential fun waiting around the corner. The rational side of himself protested, listing out all the possible scenarios where everything got fucked up in the end, but he decided to ignore it. As Sebastian often teased him, he was too uptight and maybe he should just get loose for once. It was his birthday after all; if not now, then when?

"Okay." he said, not missing the way everyone's eyes lit up. "Give me a minute - I need to get dressed and find my shoes."

A/N: I wonder if you guys are still reading this... never mind. Don't forget to leave a review!